The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Ping Xin asked when he saw Nilu opening and closing her mouth towards the air after finishing the food in her hand.

"It's not that I'm unhappy, it's just..."

There aren't many fish in the water, but there are some playful little ones that slide across her white and tender feet from time to time. There are clusters of flowers that you can't see in the city center. Although Hokkaido in June is not as white and quiet as in "Snow Country" written by Yasunari Kawabata, and it doesn't have the fantasy creature "Snow Woman" that people want to catch and study, there is always a different beauty in each season.

In fact, it is not just here. The world is full of beauty, but there is a lack of eyes to discover it. The city is like a melting pot of desire that attracts prisoners. The prisoners are busy working for their lives every day and have lost the energy to even take another look. In Tokyo, people who can listen to music or read novels instead of dozing off to replenish their energy on the way to and from get off work are already considered to have it easy.

Before Yanguo "came up behind," Dongguo was the country with the highest rate of overtime. But those overtime workers there were truly working overtime. While some worked for free, others worked themselves to death, overtime was only paid, not voluntary. After a grueling day at work, office workers often gathered in groups for drinks at izakayas. If a husband returned too early, his wife would despise him for being incompetent and unpopular.

It seems drinking culture isn't unique to Yan Country, but dysfunctional relationships exist worldwide. It can only be said that cities have transformed the lives of so many, yet few can truly change them. If the information age, when people still used cell phones, was a time of information isolation, leaving them unable to see a way out, then the information age is a time of information explosion, dizzying and disorienting. There seem to be many paths, but how many truly exist, and how many are feasible?

Even Ping Xin would worry about work and interpersonal relationships every day. Only by coming to such an open place close to nature can his mind be completely liberated. If Meganelle was not by his side, he might run naked in the forest or swim naked in the lake or ocean.

Speaking of which, although Ping Xin had followed his parents to search for the treasure in One Piece's cave, broke into the Pharaoh's tomb, looked for wild people in Shennongjia, and "treasure hunted" in the Holy Land of the Cross, he had never dived... This was a big failure!

How can you become a strong magnetic field without diving and finding some animal friends? The swimsuit will be arranged immediately!

*Pressure Massenet

Just as Pingxin was secretly resolving to go swimming, diving, and admiring bikini-clad beauties this summer... forget it, Meganelle finally came to her senses. It was almost sunset, and the light reflected off the stream made it seem like the passage of time, flowing on forever.

Time is money - if time could be visualized, it would probably be a river of gold.

"Ping Xin, I—"

"If you don't want to go, let's go back. After all, this news is from many years ago. It's unclear whether the elderly people who live in the countryside and are completely disconnected from the internet are still there or are still healthy."

He could sense the hesitation in Meganelle without even looking at her. This feeling was called homesickness.

I wonder if my hometown is safe, if the people and things there have changed significantly, and if I'll be liked the way I am now. There are many ways to interpret this, whether some return home with wealth or, like the ramen shop owner Le Yi, achieve nothing but a little worldly wisdom and a small fortune, the underlying worry is whether I'll be accepted.

Ultimately, humans are social animals. Perhaps it's because an individual is too weak to survive alone like top land predators like tigers and bears.

Perhaps only when humans are able to travel in the universe independently and truly break away from the embrace of Mother Earth can they truly become "strong". But before that, all humans cannot do without the support of each other, even strong people like Ping Xin.

Pingxin had never "forced" Meganelle, because he himself did not like it. He simply placed the naked choice before her through the art of language.

If you don't go, you will probably miss it forever due to relocation or death.

But it seemed that someone had already made the choice for her.

"Hey, what are you two doing there? Are you stealing my melon? Where's my melon?!"

Chapter 26: Nilu's Asahigaoka Travelogue Part 1

"Hey, what are you two doing there? Are you stealing my melon? Where's my melon?!"

Just when Meganelle was about to announce her decision, a wild old man appeared (?)

"Ah, no. We are simply... passing by." Ping Xin waved his hand, indicating that this old man's acting was too exaggerated and exaggerated, making it unbearable to watch. He should take it away quickly.

"I was having dinner and singing songs when my melon was stolen. Where's that huge melon I left in the stream? My wife is counting on this one after dinner!"

"We just happened to come here while having a picnic by bike. Let alone a melon, we didn't even see the basket in the water. If you don't believe me, you can check if there are any melon seeds or peels in our garbage bag." Ping Xin spoke kindly. If the old man continued to pester her, his motives would be worth considering.

"Hey, I didn't expect you two young people are so particular. Let me see..." The old man who looked to be about 50 years old actually opened the garbage bag placed at the feet of the two and started to check.

"Hmm—indeed, not really... This is giving me a headache. My wife is going to nag me to death when I get back. How about this? I'll live in a village nearby. Since you guys don't have a place to stay, why don't you stay with me? You know, other villages are even further away. The nearest city, Tomakomai, is over a hundred kilometers away. It takes a long time to get there to sell vegetables or buy groceries."

So that's what it was, like an old man soliciting customers at a farmhouse? But this kind of place is too unstable to be true. It's more likely he's actually here looking for watermelons. After all, it's quite common in rural areas to use natural resources such as rivers, lakes, and wells to chill watermelons.

His description of the remoteness of this place was spot on. After all, Hirashinobu and Nilu had ridden all the way here, so they were definitely familiar with its approximate location relative to Tomakomai City. They had come here, after all, searching for the village where Mikan's grandparents might live. After all, after wandering around for quite a while, they had only encountered the old man in front of them, a local. When the road ahead was uncertain, it was always wise to build good relationships with the locals.

We are not afraid of his high accommodation charges and poor conditions, but we are afraid that he has other intentions. For example, this old man who looks to be in his 50s but is still quite strong has been secretly observing Nilu. However, we can't feel any malice from him, so we can't figure out what he is doing.

After much deliberation, Ping Xin decided to take the initiative. After all, Meganelle was struggling internally, so honestly, he couldn't be of any use. As the leader, he was responsible for their safety.

"Then why? Honestly, I can't think of any reason for you to be so friendly to us. This may be a bit offensive, but I never put my safety on unwarranted trust in others. In other words, what do we need to pay as the 'fee' for accommodation?"

Even the most "dangerous" encounter with thugs in the alleys near the game center, which was the most "dangerous" for Ping Xin, he would never die, at most suffering a fatal injury. Delta had always been lurking in the dark, and as he had mentioned, the technology in this world was more advanced than Ping Xin's original world, so even a stab to the heart wouldn't be a "big deal" in the worst-case scenario.

As long as Ping Xin really falls into a state where he cannot resist, Delta and the surveillance team lurking in the dark will take action immediately. Although this world's research on the brain is still limited, medicine in other areas is very advanced. Simply put, as long as the brain is not damaged, Ping Xin can rely on medicine to recover.

A fatal injury.jpg

*As for why a small number of congenital diseases such as Mizukuri cannot be cured in the face of such advanced technology, it involves deep world view settings and has nothing to do with the current main storyline, so it will not be explained for the time being.

"Once you come home with me, just help me and my wife testify that the melons were indeed lost. As for the cost... you can help me with farm work for half a day tomorrow. With all the young people leaving for the big cities, it's really hard for us old folks to farm. Hahaha—"

So that's the case, it makes sense...

*The following information comes from the Internet. The author is not from an agricultural background, so I don’t know much about it, so just take a look at it.

When people think of Hokkaido, they often think of the vast and tranquil snow country. But in fact, Hokkaido is not only famous for its snowy scenery, but also the granary of the East. Speaking of which, the land in the northeast always seems to be fertile land.

Hokkaido, which accounts for approximately a quarter of Eastern Japan's arable land, boasts a food self-sufficiency rate of 204%. In recent years, it has also led Eastern Japan in production of wheat, rice, potatoes, beef, and dairy products. Near Sapporo, just a few minutes' drive from Tomakomai, there are vast expanses of rice paddies, some areas of which are famous for their rice and mosaic fields.

To be honest, before Ping Xin came here, he always thought that it would be difficult to grow crops in the ice and snow, but in fact, the technological level of any world is enough to cultivate high-yield and stress-resistant wheat varieties that can adapt to the local cold environment conditions.

Hokkaido's temperate monsoon climate features four distinct seasons, large temperature swings between day and night, and abundant sunshine. These conditions provide rice with a long growing cycle, allowing it to fully absorb nutrients. Thanks to its high level of mechanization, Hokkaido's wheat production is extremely efficient, making it one of the northernmost wheat-growing regions in the world.

Therefore, this excuse seemed reasonable to Ping Xin, but it was ultimately just an excuse. Ping Xin wanted to see what tricks this old man could pull on him, and if necessary, he could "bring any crime to justice." Of course, the main reason was his curiosity, and Nilu really couldn't move forward and needed to find a place to rest and adjust her mental state.

"I understand. Please lead the way." Pingxin agreed.

"Nilu, let's go—"

"...Ah? Okay..."

Is he still listless? He's like Ping Xin in his previous life, who was afraid to return to the orphanage after his first fight at school. Back then, the old director came to look for him, but who in this world would look for Meganelle now?

A sense of responsibility surged in his heart, and Pingxin held Nel's hand.

"Let's go, I'm here for you, don't worry~"

"...Pfft——Really, I don't understand English~"

Don’t understand? You’ll have to study later!

Ping Xin's sense of responsibility has been greatly doubled.

"Hurry up, kid! Stop dawdling and show some youthful spirit!"

The old man, who originally looked kind because of his old age, revealed his true temper. For some reason, he patted Pingxin's back hard, urging him to walk faster as if he was driving a donkey.

Chapter 27: Nilu's Asahigaoka Travelogue Part 2

Led by an old man who had become irritable for some unknown reason, Ping Xin and Ni Lu crossed the flower fields, climbed over two slopes, and captured a few monsters... This didn't happen, anyway, they arrived at an ordinary little village.

Although there is a cement road under my feet, there is no dividing line in the middle to divide the lanes. After all, the vehicles passing through such places are mostly trucks used for selling crops and purchasing, the kind with a front and an open back.

Generally, people in such places live a life almost isolated from the outside world. If there are really no young people in the village as the old man said, then their current understanding of the outside world mostly comes from the news newspapers they can see when they drop people off to nearby towns and cities to buy and sell goods, or from the old TV at home with intermittent signal, right?

While this world's technology is ahead of the past, that's primarily in cutting-edge industries. Translating the latest technology into civilian use and then achieving widespread adoption often takes a significant amount of time, even as long as a lifetime. Even when it does find application, it often first serves as a "glamorous addition" to large cities, rather than providing a "helping hand" in rural areas. This is similar to how subsidies often fail to reach those who truly need them.

However, unlike Heping Xin's "prejudice" (fantasy) that the village is deep in the mountains and forests, there are still some young people here. For example, there is a snack shop on the outskirts of the village, and the owner is a young blonde woman who looks to be about twenty years old.

Passing through a tunnel reminiscent of "Peach Blossom Spring," Ping Xin and Ni Lu followed the unknown old man for a while before arriving at the village. As they walked towards his house, they received many glances.

Firstly, Ping Xin and Ni Lu were young people rarely seen in the village and were outsiders. In such a secluded place, any slight movement would spread quickly through the gossip of adults at work and the whispers of housewives. It was hard not to attract attention when two young people who were different in appearance, clothing and aura suddenly appeared among a group of familiar faces.

Secondly, Ping Xin's image at the moment was a bit... exaggerated? He was holding Nilu's hand with one hand, carrying a bag on his back, carrying two bicycles on his shoulders, and even dragging two suitcases with trolleys behind him.

In short, they don’t look like they are here to travel, but they don’t look like they are here to visit relatives either. Instead, they look like they are here to escape!

Could this be a single father fleeing with his daughter? But judging by their ages... are they siblings? But they don't look like that...

The men after work and the women who gathered together for daily chats were also discussing the relationship between the two enthusiastically. In short, no matter what, the appearance of Heishin and Nero successfully topped the "hot search list" of Asahigaoka Village, which is really gratifying~

Teacher Wang: I am so envious, jealousy has distorted my face

A group of three people were walking on the road when they ran into a group of four people coming towards them.

At the front was a girl with twintails, two tufts of adobo hair shaped like sprouting seeds or a pair of ribbons. The yellow ribbons on her lavender hair gave her a naive beauty, but her face, startled by the sight of Hirayuko, made her look a bit silly.

She seems to have the same expressionless face as Hirayama's sister, Asuka Matoki. The only thing that allows Hirayama to know that she is surprised is her unconsciously open mouth and half-open eyes that she is trying to open wide. She is probably a girl who is a little confused. Judging from her height of about 120cm and her childish face, she seems to be an elementary school student.

Behind her were two sisters who looked close. Although the older sister had red hair and purple eyes, while the younger sister had brown hair and green eyes, Ping Xin could tell them apart by their similar aura and facial features. Both wore the student uniform of a white shirt, yellow sleeveless sweater, and black pleated skirt, likely indicating they were middle school students at this school.

Walking at the end of the group behind the three was a girl with black hair and brown eyes, both of outstanding height and development. She looked very steady. From her appearance alone, it was clear that she was either a JK or a well-developed middle school student. Her eyes kept drifting towards the "younger sister" among the sisters. She must be thinking about how to take care of her juniors, right?

Seeing this girl who had the same "initial" Asian appearance as himself and was also in the "caregiver" position in interpersonal relationships, Pingxin felt a little more familiar.

However, if they were all elementary school students, Pingxin could have a conversation with them without any pressure. If there were junior high school students, he could barely handle it. But when it came to that black-haired "high school student", Pingxin was a little at a loss. So he just nodded and greeted them, then took Nel and followed the grandfather whose name he didn't know away.

Little did they know that after he left, this very eye-catching configuration and "equipment" in all senses, coupled with the very cool male god-like response, actually caused a discussion among the girls -

"Ah - that big brother who didn't know me just now seemed so powerful. He had things hanging all over his body, and he wasn't even afraid of grandpa!" said Miyauchi Renka, an elementary school student with light purple hair and twin pigtails, after she came back to her senses from the shock.

"I've never seen him before. He's following behind Grandpa. Could he be a transfer student like Hotaru?" said Natsumi Koshitani, a cheerful, casual-spoken, and masculine girl with red hair and purple eyes.

"Really? But look at the sister he brought with him? Daughter? If they really moved here, they shouldn't only have so much luggage, right? Come to think of it, can the average person carry so many things?!" Koshigaya Komari, the petite girl with brown hair and green eyes, Koshigaya Natsumi's sister, complained.

"A transfer student? It would be nice if you were from Tokyo like me..." said Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth-grade elementary school transfer student with black hair and brown eyes, a baby-faced and huge breasts, who had average development a year ago but suddenly turned into a 164cm tall cute girl, and who had just arrived here because of her father's job transfer.

In fact, they are all students from the local Asahigaoka branch school. They were playing together after school today, June 6th, and are now on their way to a sweets shop. They just didn't expect that young people would appear one after another in this unknown rural place.

Even though they looked very unique from a distance, for some reason the combination of a handsome young man carrying a lot of things and a petite pretty girl wearing a peculiar golden dragon embroidered jacket who followed them silently instantly attracted their attention. After all, there was little entertainment in this small place and new things like this were even rarer.

It would have been even more interesting if the village's well-known "Grandpa" had led the way. After walking through most of the village, Ping Xin and Nilu finally followed the old man to a large wooden Japanese-style house.

Chapter 28: Nilu's Asahigaoka Travelogue Part 3

The old man in front said nothing, simply pushing the door open. Ping Xin placed the two bicycles he was carrying at the door and followed Meganil inside. They took off their shoes at the door and walked in in their socks. The unique smell of wooden floors and the "human" scent that only old houses can smell filled the air.

The three people's footsteps echoed in the empty room, like the heartbeat of the hollow old house growing stronger. Following the old man, the two men arrived at a room. The old man's expression relaxed at first, then hardened again the moment he opened the door.

Swah——

"...Liuhua, I'm back."

"Welcome back... Oh, who are these two?" asked an old woman with half-white hair but who looked very young and was wearing a simple home kimono.

"They are just wanderers who got lost and are now outside. I felt sorry for them so I decided to take them in." The old man left the two of them where they were and sat down on the cushion opposite the low table. Then he drank the tea that the old lady had made.

ん(huh)?

Didn't we say we could prove your melon problem? It's like we've suddenly become pitiful little cats and dogs. Seeing the old man sitting there in front of him, as if he'd been waiting for them for a long time, and the old woman who seemed so kind even though they were meeting for the first time, Ping Xin's mouth twitched slightly.

"Yes, I, Asuka Maheishin, and Meganelu were having a picnic outside when we met this old man who happened to be passing by. If he hadn't brought us here, we might not have been able to find the town and our next place to stay before dark. Thank you very much."

Ping Xin lowered his head and bowed slightly, and Nelue beside him followed suit. The moment they bowed their heads after introducing themselves, a faint, yet heavy emotion flashed across the eyes of the two elders, and then in the next moment, they returned to their usual demeanor.

"Hmph—that's good to know. Life in the city outside is not as comfortable as here. If you had known and come back, you wouldn't be in this situation today..."

The old man, who looked to be about 50 years old but had a strong physique, started talking incessantly, while the young-looking old woman sitting opposite him covered her mouth with one hand and laughed.

Has the old man's personality changed since he came to this village? This is especially obvious after he entered this house. He no longer looks like a country farmer who loves melons, but instead looks like a dignified elder.

But Pingxin always feels that he is creating a persona and building prestige, but what is the purpose of this?

Although what they said was not so pleasant to the ear, they did not sound arrogant like someone in a higher position. It was more like a stern elder teaching a younger generation a lesson. But why did these words not make sense? Could it be that there was some "person" following them?

He first cranked up the ripples to maximum, then used his stand, "The World," to circle the area. Once he confirmed that physical exorcism wasn't necessary, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed. He attributed his somewhat inexplicable panic to the fear of the unknown, and once again, he missed the correct answer.

*After all, there are all kinds of monsters and demons in Kishibe Rohan's life. In addition, Ping Xin knew from his sister's childhood that this world has supernatural powers. After the founding of Yan Kingdom, it is forbidden to become a spirit, but Dong Kingdom is still in operation.

Afterward, Hirayoshi chatted with the two elders for a while, drinking some tea and eating some senbei. After a conversation reminiscent of a group chat, he learned that this place was called Asahigaoka Village and some basic facts about it, like the infrastructure in neighboring Tomakomai was aging, that young people were leaving, that there were few newborns, and that the population was aging.

After listening and analyzing Pingxin's words, he tentatively came to the conclusion that although the old man's words were a bit exaggerated, they were basically reasonable. Except for the mystery of the reason for inviting them to stay overnight, the other conclusions seemed to be fine.

While he tried to stall for time with his "chatter," Ping Xin manipulated the "world," utilizing its full ten-meter range to survey the surroundings. Since Ping Xin's ripples had been upgraded mentally, his control over his Stand and its destructive power had increased. However, the time-stopping duration remained at three seconds, suggesting this might be due to him using a cheap cheat code to obtain a Stand, rather than relying on his own "locking the gears of the world."

After using the excuse of going to the restroom, Ping Xin quickly searched the interior again, maintaining a high state of alert throughout the entire process and letting his stand "World" be ready to stop time at any time. He even used "World" to look through the wall before opening the door to prevent being killed by the door opening.

After looking around and finding no dark basement, strange magic circles drawn in blood, scary-looking puppets, or secret rooms sealed by spells, Ping Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief. The important item "the buried photo frame" he found on the cabinet at the door while getting his luggage finally became the last piece to solve the mystery, which made Ping Xin feel relieved.

Although there are still some small doubts (unreasonable things) that have not been explained, Pingxin at least knows that this family may harm him but will not harm Nilu, so he feels relieved.

It was dusk when we met the old man by the stream. After chatting for a while, it was already late, so everyone prepared to rest. Pingxin used the excuse of throwing away garbage to quickly walk around the village for dozens of minutes and found nothing unusual. He even walked out of the village and returned to confirm the way he came.

After all, isn't that common? Those horror stories about towns of the dead, the border between the living and the dead, and so on. So after sending his location and message to his sister Asuka Matoki, Delta and other shadow maids, and Asuna and the others via his mobile phone, Hiranobu was finally completely relieved.

It feels great to sweat slightly after pushing the body with all its strength, but the price that comes with it is a huge consumption of physical strength. So Pingxin knocked on the door of the snack shop at the entrance of the village again, bought a lot of snacks under the strange look of the blonde female owner, and ate them while walking. Unexpectedly, his phone rang at this time.

So it could be her who called?

Pingxin really couldn't think of any reason why she would call at this time. After all, she had a brief conversation with Pingxin on Line when they were traveling before, but Pingxin used the excuse that he was out on business and asked her to be patient and talk to her after the matter was over.

Ping Xin thought she was lonely so he answered the phone.

"Hey...why did you think of calling me now?"